Tello streamlines the creation and management of passes for brands in Apple’s Passbook. The company launched just a few months ago, on September 19, and already has thousands of customers, including professional sports teams and wireless carriers.

“We've focused on making it easy for all businesses to create and manage Passbook passes, including the industrial strength security and scalability that many require,” Joe Beninato, founder and CEO of Tello said in a statement. “We've seen tremendous interest and adoption since launch and are excited to join UrbanAirship and amplify that momentum through an end-to-end solution.”

With the acquisition, UrbanAirship hopes to expand its offerings to marketers. Since users do not have to download a brand’s app in order to take advantage of a pass in Passbook, the company will be able to reach even more mobile customers.

"We're been watching Apple Passbook," Scott Kveton, CEO and co-founder of Urban Airship told Mashable. "We think what Apple has created in Passbook is a really interesting new product and we think there are a lot of interesting parallels in what we've been doing in the app world with push message. We think we can play a similar role in helping companies adopt Passbook strategies."

Kventon thinks that the combination of push messaging, passes and location-targeting create the perfect solution for businesses who want to have successful Passbook programs.

UrbanAirship currently powers the push notifications in apps such as Shopkick, Walgreens, Waze, and ESPN. Kveton says that apps that take advantage of push notifications see around a 400% increase in engagement over aps that don’t.

“It’s a critical ingredient in getting your app to be used," says Kventon. “It’s also a critical ingredient in getting your app to remain on the phone beyond the download.”

With the acquisition UrbanAirship will maintain Tello’s Palo Alto office, integrating the company and its employees into UrbanAirship as a whole. Beninato, will join Urban Airship’s management team as GM of Digital Wallet.

How do you engage with brands on your smartphone? Let us know your favorite apps and passes in the comments.

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is a leading source for news, information and resources for the Connected Generation. Mashable reports on the importance of digital innovation and how it empowers and inspires people around the world. Mashable's record 42 million unique visitors worldwide and 21 million social media followers are one of the most influential and engaged online communities. Founded in 2005, Mashable is headquartered in New York City with an office in San Francisco.